Colleges ask For Rs 20 lakh 'donation' for teaching job

“I desperately need a job, but from where will I generate Rs 22 lakhs,” questioned Rahul Jagdale, who cleared his State Eligibility Test (SET) long ago and gave at least 25 interviews at various colleges in the last three years, but could not bag a job, as he failed to give a ‘donation’ that ran in lakhs.

Unfortunately, Jagdale is not the isolated case. It has been learnt that despite passing the National Eligibility Test (NET)-SET — the only legal way to become eligible to apply for assistant professor’s post in universities or colleges — hundreds of candidates in the state were unemployed from the past several years.

“On several occasions I didn’t even receive interview calls. After numerous unsuccessful attempts I reached a conclusion that conducting interviews for vacant post at colleges or universities is just a farce. Everything is so smartly planned that without paying lakhs of rupees you can’t secure a job,” Mahesh Davange said.

Meeting point: The members of All Maharashtra SET-NET Eligible Organisation held a meeting on the University of Pune (UoP) campus last Thursday; (inset) UoP Vice Chancellor Dr W N Gade. File pics

Davange cleared SET in Hindi subject in 2009. Kannor Satilal, a SET candidate from Jalgaon, said, “The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that along with money, one must have strong political connections to secure the job. So that young aspiring teachers can be used to do party work, especially during election time.”

Fed up with rejection, NET-SET candidates who faced constant rejection collaborated and established the All Maharashtra SET-NET Eligible Organisation and held a meeting on the University of Pune (UoP) campus last Thursday.

“Like UPSC-MPSC exams, the state must establish a separate recruitment board for NET-SET candidates to end the monopoly of colleges and universities,” Founder and Chairperson of the organization Sambhaji Patil said.

Commenting on the issue, UoP Vice-Chancellor Dr W N Gade said, “The university does receive complaints that some colleges follow malpractices during recruitment process, but unfortunately the complainants are unable to provide us adequate proof. If we get the proof, we will certainly take strict action against such colleges.

As per UGC guidelines, it is mandatory to give preference to NET-SET candidates. If still a college does not consider applicants with NET-SET background, then it can be considered as a crime and the university will take strict action against such colleges.”

Gade said the varsity administration had initiated efforts to fill the collective vacancy of 30 per cent —teaching staff — in various departments it hosts on its campus.

Did you know?

>> Less than one per cent of those appearing for the NET-SET pass the test every year